poets to put in your stocking

put down that weird christmas sweater.  don't buy that crock pot for mom.  infuse a little literary goodness into the season.  words last forever, after all.  & don't require an AC adapter.

if you want a little poetry in your life this season, check out these books:

Collected Poems by Jack Gilbert.
Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful.  Celebrate the poet lost too soon.

Red Army Red: Poems  by Jehanne Dubrow.
If you haven't read any of Jehanne's other collections, run, hurry!  Pick all of them up.  She is amazing.

ELEGIES for New York Avenue by Melanie Henderson.
Winner of the 2011 Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award.  Gorgeous & rich writing by my friend & editor of Tidal Basin Review.

Best New Poets 2012: 50 Poems from Emerging Writers.

& yes, they used to come on stationary: more hand-written letters

holy wow, it has been awhile.  i haven't been using my time to carve cougars out of wood.  or get my tan on. i did watch a LOT of Downton Abbey.  and while i was away, & listening to some bruce springsteen (thanks jimmy fallon for showcasing his cool!), a neat thing happened:

always a proponent of the hand-written letter (especially the love letter) i was interviewed a few months ago for an article on their importance & evolution for Military Spouse magazine.  for me, the most inspiring thing about the letter, in addition to the emotions & day to day narratives that they evoke, is the individual narrative they provide.  & the historical ones.  & the personal effect of the hand writing itself on family members, who, years from now will discover that letter.  & be able to imagine their loved ones seated & scribbling adoration or news to their wives or husbands or friends back home.  especially, as in the case of my grand parents, during war times.  while i am so thankful for the modern day immediacy of email & skype that tethers us quickly to our loved ones now, despite any distance, i absolutely covet the letter.  the paper, held by the writer, the ink from their pen, the excitement at the mailbox.  for me, it is priceless.  & i am sad to see that its form is quickly vanishing.

i was so thankful to be included.  find the full article, if you can get your hands on it, in the may issue.

inspired to write your own love letter?  on actual paper (what is that you say?  is that an app?)?  check out the gorgeous letterpress stationary at Smudge Ink or take a little browse on etsy, where i have found some amazing letterpress vendors.  come on, set down that hand held device & pick up the original: a pen.  & get your hand-written adorations on.

how she does it: jacquelynn buck

excited to be able to write about a photographer, who is not only brilliant in her art form (it is undeniably inspiring & captivating).  check out my new piece about jacquelynn buck on the she's self-employed site.  & consider her the next time you need to capture an irreplaceable moment.  she travels.  all over.  (so you don't have an excuse not to at least look at her list of cities...).

where writers (me!) write

yesterday i had the privilege of being featured on fiction writer (& dear friend!) kristin offiler's blog, white space, to discuss the importance of where we write.  check it out, here!  & more importantly, browse & follow her blog.

next week kristin will guest post here, so stay tuned!

the cowboy that kept me writing

its friday, and you know what that means:  the end of the week, the beginning of something new & hopefully brilliant.   what better day to celebrate inspiration, in all forms?  today, i celebrate my father.

if you keep reaching, eventually you will have the strength, courage, & flexibility to get to the place you have wanted all along.  something my dad has taught me, in all things.  so proud to know someone who does what he loves, day after day.  so proud to know a man who, during one of the most challenging times in our lives, was able to finish his first novel (Treasure of the Soul).  

read the latest piece about him in this december article from Indian Country Today.   

who or what is an inspiration to you today?

the darren criss urban vintage hangover

if you are like me you just might have that go-to city-love, that takes up a place in your heart + mind, that no other place will ever possibly compare.  if you know me (hi, how are you?) then you know that for me, that place is new york (i <3 bk).  having just returned from what is certain to be my last trip for a few months (my biggest + most important "creative project collaboration" will keep us occupied for much of this year), i can't help but feel like every morning i wake up with the sounds and sights of the city lingering on my tongue.  it is kind of a perfect marriage between hungover + heart-miss, for this place, this affecting, amazing city.

Williamsburg, BK, Photo by Jacey Blue Renner

so what to do?  well, i am not really a weeper, so that's out.  and i am not (yet) a well-enough paid writer that i can fly back & buy my first apartment there.  having friends skype their walks + adventures around the city has crossed my mind, but i worry their arms may go slack/numb/into paralysis due to high demand.  so.  that leaves me, with writing + reading about it.  which essentially is probably most to my advantage.  if i want to become that well-enough paid writer who can eventually buy a teeny apartment to call her own.

and how do darren criss + the urban vintage come into the equation?  three words: broadway and brunch.  who knew such three words could bring such inspiration.  well, actually i did.  brunch is always inspiring with its eclectic (enter, DELISH) fare.  and mr. criss, if you have heard him sing (and on broadway, my lord!) you know exactly what i am talking about.

point being:  what & where has you beyond words affected today?  mull it over. write about it on a postcard.  send it to someone you love.  & affect & affect & affect.